1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to a food oven having an annular trackway and a drive reel for advancing food packages around the trackway, to a construction of a trackway, and to a construction of a drive reel.
2. Prior Art
Hot food articles, such as pizzas, are frequently prepared at the place of consumption, and the article may be sized to constitute a single serving. It has been found that in attempting to bake such articles rapidly, there is a tendency for the baking to be uneven. This problem is heightened by the fact that the same equipment will typically be used for baking a pizza that begins in the frozen state as well as one that begins in the unfrozen state, and of course, the degree of freezing can vary from point to point on a particular pizza, thereby causing uneven rising, uneven baking and uneven browning, and in some instances even causing burning before the article is ready for consumption. There can be superficial overcooking with inadequate rising of dough. To resolve such problem, in the past, a separate oven has been utilized to thaw the dough before baking, and such an arrangement becomes durdensome in that the operator needs to use two ovens, needs to have multiple opening and closing of doors, and is placed at a disadvantage in needing to estimate baking time.
A concept for solution to the foregoing uneven heating problem is provided by the oven of Raul Guibert U.S. Pat. No. 3,847,069. This oven has a vertical axis helical track of several levels with electric heating elements in between the track levels and a reel for advancing circular food packages down the track and past the heating elements.
An important feature of U.S. Pat. No. 3,847,069 is the provision of epicyclic movement of a food package to give even heating of the food.
However, the structure of the oven of U.S. Pat. No. 3,847,069 has been found too expensive for commercial usage and further has been found relatively difficult to build, assemble and clean. It will be appreciated that any food oven is subject to spattering and collection of grease, spillage and cooking residue; and that such a food oven must be cleanable and must be periodically cleaned in the public interest. It has further been found that this prior art oven was susceptible to frequent jamming, the consequence of which is burned food and the accompanying smoke from the burning food and consequential dirting of the interior of the oven.